The Italian government has strengthened the country’s citizenship law amid criticism that people often have little real connection to European countries – had delved into family history to seek to assert passports just to ease the world.
After the government narrows down eligibility criteria to people with Italian parents and grandparents, Italians will be able to acquire citizenship.
The government says it has changed passport rules due to an expansion of applications from migrant descendants.
So what were the old rules of citizenship in Italy, what was the change, and what is the rationale for Italy?
What has been Italian citizenship laws up until now?
Under the old rules, after the creation of the Kingdom of Italy on March 17, 1861, anyone who could prove that their Italian ancestors were alive could seek citizenship.
However, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the system is outdated and changes to the law were designed to crack down on “abusers” who would become Italians to overcome travel restrictions.
According to the Henley Passport Index, Italian passports rank third in the world for travel without a visa or on arrival, making them one of the most coveted and easiest to ever learn.
“Being an Italian citizen is serious. Getting a passport that you can go shopping in Miami is not a game,” Tajani told a press conference in Rome on March 28th.
What are the new rules?
The new order, released Friday and immediately took effect, strengthened the criteria for asserting citizenship eligibility through the “jus sanguinis” or descendant pedigree route.
Currently, only individuals with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy will automatically qualify for citizenship through descent. The amended law will not affect 60,000 applications currently receiving pending reviews.
Additionally, Dual Nationals risks losing Italian citizenship if they “do not participate” by paying taxes, voting or renewing their passport.
Finally, Italian consulates in other countries will no longer process citizenship applications.
Instead, all applications are processed online centrally by the Italian federal government. Face-to-face interviews are required. This means that citizenship applicants must travel to Italy as part of the process.
How many people could this change affect this rule?
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, between 60 and 80 million people worldwide were eligible for citizenship under the old rules. This is Italy’s population of over 59 million, which has been shrinking for the past decade.
Many people who claim to be Italian descent secured their rights for Italian citizenship, particularly in South America, with millions of Italians emigrating to escape poverty in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad increased by 40% from 4.6 million to 6.4 million. That number was boosted by many new Italian citizens whose new nationalities were recorded in this data.
In Argentina alone, citizenship perceptions rose from 20,000 in 2024 to 30,000, but Brazil rose from 14,000 to 20,000 in the same period.
Why did Italy change citizenship rules?
Critics of ancestral citizenship say the practice provided nationality to people who had no material ties to Italy.
Tajani said reform is necessary because “citizenship is not automatic unless people with ancestors who migrated centuries ago have no cultural or linguistic connections with the country.”
He also pointed out that companies are pocketing large sums of money by helping them track long-forgotten ancestors they need for passport applications. “We are very hard surprised at people who want to make money from the opportunity to become Italian citizens,” Tajani said.
According to Valentino Larcinese, a professor of public policy at the London School of Economics (LSE), the old system promoted “access to the EU labor market… and the system was being abused.”
He said, “The idea of applying some restrictions [on passports] It’s reasonable.”
In recent years, the rise in passport applications has also been overwhelming in consulates and city offices, and has also been flooded with requests for birth, death and marriage certificates. So, under the new rules, this is why only the Italian federal government, not overseas consulates, will process applications.
Another criticism of the old system is that it is unfair and gives citizenship to people with long-lost missing ancestors, while denying birthright citizenship to immigrant children.
Italy now allows legal immigrant children to become citizens only after they turn 18.
For Larcinese, “This is a bigger problem than the issue of passports from overseas.”
He estimated that between 1 and 2 million denaturalized immigrants in Italy were under age. [of] 18… Much bigger than tens of thousands of people seeking passports abroad.”
Larcinese highlighted a groundbreaking vote on relaxing other elements of Italian citizenship rules, which will take place from June 8th to 9th.
One of the key issues of voting is to reduce the number of years you need to spend in Italy from 10 to 5 years to qualify for naturalized citizenship. Once the Italian citizenship is obtained, it is automatically handed over to the children of the citizens.
“This is a prominent issue of public debate and could imply political change. [in favour of immigrants]. ”
Do other countries have ancestral citizenship?
In Italy, like much of Europe, immigration law is primarily based on bloodline and can maintain relations with millions of Italian descendants who migrated several years ago.
Some European countries continue to allow citizenship through descents, even with generational restrictions. However, there are unique requirements for lineage evidence.
For example, in Hungary, citizenship is possible if the applicant has Hungarian ancestry and is able to prove his linguistic ability.
In Poland, applicants can obtain a passport by proofing their ancestors of an unbroken Polish lineage.
Sephardic Jews with ancestors ties to Portugal can also apply for passports.
Are other countries tightening their citizenship rules?
The Rome movement is as other countries are rethinking citizenship rules in response to changes in attitudes about immigration.
In the US, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20th to end his natural citizenship as part of the agenda for right-wing nationalists.
Basement citizenship means that people born in the United States will automatically become citizens to citizens, including undocumented immigrants and tourist children and short-term visa students. This policy has been in place for over a century and is being shrunk by the 14th amendment to the US Constitution.
Republicans have long argued that birthright citizenship is an undocumented magnet for immigrants, which allows individuals to come to the United States to have children.
Trump’s executive order was scheduled to come into effect on February 19th, but was blocked by a federal judge on “unconstitutional” grounds.
According to a review of the world population, in 2024, at least 33 countries have birthright citizenship, mainly in Latin America, including North America and Mexico.
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